First Day On A Brand New Planet
by emjem18
Summary: Kara survives her first night on Earth with Alex's help, of course.


**This was a request by Frozenfever9712. I hope you guys enjoy it! (Totally stole the title from a One Tree Hill episode, hah)**

Alex is told to stay out of the way.

She (reluctantly) obeys and dumps the contents of her backpack on the kitchen table. Her heavy science textbook falls last, a resounding _thud_ momentarily reprieving her from the loud wailing echoing down the stairs and all through the downstairs portion of the house. After meeting Kara, albeit briefly, Eliza whisked the young girl upstairs once she realized her cousin has snuck out without a goodbye. Her cries are heartbreaking and it sounds like she's choking but Alex always does what she's told and concentrates on her homework. She puts in her ear buds and turns the volume dial on her IPod as loud it goes without hurting her ears.

Alex can't concentrate with Kara's sobs. It's not her fault and she doesn't blame her. She blames her parents for telling _her_ to give Kara her space. Maybe they should take their own advice. Only last night she found out she was getting a "sister." Jeremiah briefed her in between commercials of _Doctor Who_ re-runs; casually throwing it out there like it wasn't going to change the only life Alex has ever known.

" _She's going to be sad. Fragile. She's just lost her world. You have to give her space. Give her time."_

Alex shuffles through a couple songs and hits the pause button, trying to hear if Kara's still crying. When the pretty heartbreaking whimpers bellow through the walls, she hits play again and re-reads the same paragraph in her textbook.

Jeremiah shuffles in and he immediately goes to the refrigerator for a beer. "Al?" he says to his daughter gruffly, pounding the table to get Alex's attention. "Alex?"

"Huh?" Alex says, removing her right ear bud. "Did you say something?"

He scans Alex's homework and smiles proudly. "I'm so glad you're a science girl. I don't know what I'd do if you were into literature."

"You'd love me just the same," Alex says confidently. She closes the book with a sigh and taps her pencil against the forgotten homework. "No offense dad, but a wailing alien was not something I wanted for my fifteenth birthday."

"I know, honey," Jeremiah chuckles between sips of beer. "I told your mother to let her be but you know how she is."

Alex nods her head knowingly. "Stubborn."

"Very."

"Do you want me to try?" Alex finds herself offering though she's not really sure why. Her nose scrunches when Kara's sobs seem to be getting louder, if that's even possible. "Maybe she needs to talk to someone her own age."

Jeremiah is hesitant to let Alex loose. He sips his beer in contemplation before shaking his head. "Let your mother try and handle it. For now."

"Whatever you say," Alex mumbles, focusing her gaze back down to the table so she can roll her eyes without a lecture. Her head pops back up when it's silent. "Do you think mom killed her?"

"No," Jeremiah laughs loudly. "Besides, Kara's indestructible."

Alex can't keep her mouth from falling open. "Say what?"

"Remind me to fill you in tomorrow," Jeremiah says tiredly. He rubs his face and pours the rest of his beer down the sink at the sound of his wife's footsteps. "Well?"

Eliza sighs and folds herself into Jeremiah's arms. "She's calm. For now."

Alex has an inkling she's going to be hearing the phrase "for now" for quite some time. She throws her books back into her bag and lazily tosses it into the corner of the room, ignoring her mother's watchful gaze. "Can I go upstairs now? My element project is in my room and I need to work on it."

"Why don't you give Kara a tour of the house?" Eliza suggests, but really demands, her eyes narrowing when Alex goes to argue. "Honey, please. You've already finished your project; we checked it over three nights ago. Remember?"

"I don't," Alex replies coyly. She gets up and exhales dramatically. "What am I supposed to do? What if she starts freaking out again?"

"Then we'll handle it."

Alex knows protesting is fruitless. She throws her hands up in the air and grimaces at the disgusting sound of her parents kissing. They were in their mid-40s for crying out loud. She takes the stairs two at a time and nearly falls back down when Kara is perched on the top step, her arms locked tightly around her knees.

"Kara?" Alex tries quietly. She closes her eyes and tries to remember if she's pronouncing it right. "Ka-ra?" she repeats, her voice less confident when Kara still doesn't look up. "Kar-a? Right?"

 _That_ gets Kara to look up. She doesn't say anything but Alex feels her heart constricting at how red Kara's eyes are. She looks so miserable and helpless and way younger than thirteen-years-old.

"Hey," Alex spits out coolly. "I'm Alex. We met for like two secs." Kara looks back down and trembles. She sits down next to Kara and frowns when the smaller girl scoots against the wall. "I can't even imagine how you must feel."

Kara sniffles and remains quiet.

"I'm not good at this," Alex admits shyly. "Ask any of my friends. I have _no_ idea what to do when people are crying around me. Sometimes I start crying just because. But I won't do that." She closes her eyes and cringes at how awkward she's making things. "I'm sorry. I talk a lot when I'm nervous. It's a bad habit."

"Me too."

Alex strains her ears to see if she's hearing right. "W-what?"

"Me too," Kara repeats, her voice barely above a whisper. She lifts her forehead off her knees and finally locks eyes with her new sister. "My mother used to tease me for it."

"Hey, look at that," Alex begins jokingly, reaching out to poke Kara's side. "An alien and a human have something in common!"

Kara starts to giggle and honestly, Alex feels prideful. She's definitely going to rub it in her parents' face later.

"Do you want a tour of the house?" Alex extends her hand out after she stands up but Kara's reluctant to take it. She looks up apologetically but feels relief when the brunette doesn't look offended.

Kara stands up too and quietly follows Alex down the hall.

"We'll start with the bathroom," Alex begins in some weird announcer voice that makes Kara smile. Again. "This is where you do your business. Wait. Do you even like…use the bathroom?" Kara stares blankly at her. "Right. That was a personal question. I'm sorry."

Alex steps aside and lets Kara survey the room curiously. She pulls back the shower curtain and stares at the various shampoos lined neatly on the ledge.

"That's the shower. Where you clean yourself and wash your hair," Alex explains stupidly. "Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?"

Kara shrugs timidly. "A little."

"I'm assuming you had ways to clean yourself on Krypton."

"Yes?" Kara answers hesitantly, trying to figure out if Alex is making fun of her or not.

"Just checking!" Alex says brightly. She points to the toilet. "This is the toilet. You know…where you do your thing. But seriously, do you use the bathroom?"

Again, Kara's hesitant to answer. "How does it work?"

"Well, you do whatever and then when you're done…pull down the silver handle and watch what it does."

Kara's fingers linger over the silver handle. She gently, gently presses down on the handle and screams when the toilet makes an odd noise and the water quickly disappears and reappears again.

Alex stares at Kara weirdly. "What? What's wrong?" Kara's shaking again, her eyes filling with tears. "Uh, Kara? It's not going to hurt you."

"Do, do you promise?"

Alex wants to laugh so badly but clears her throat when Kara peers at her so innocently. "I promise."

"O-okay. I'm sorry for…for screaming."

"It's cool," Alex says with a shrug. "Anyway, let's keep this tour moving."

Alex dutifully brings Kara around the top floor, showing her the linen closet in case she needs towels for her shower, her parents' bedroom and the bedroom they were going to be sharing. It was going to take a lot to get used to but Alex was willing to try. Kara seems to be warming up to her.

"Do you want to borrow some pajamas?"

Kara peers down at her white robe and tugs it. "Pajamas?"

"Pajamas," Alex repeats slowly. "Clothes you sleep in."

"Oh."

Alex is already rifling through her drawers. "What do you usually sleep in?"

"Robes."

"That doesn't sound comfortable."

"You get used to it."

"Here," Alex says, forcing an old pair of flannel pajama pants and her eighth grade graduation t-shirt in Kara's hands. "Wear these. You'll be a lot more comfortable."

"Thank you," Kara replies politely. She stares at Alex shyly, clutching the clothes tight to her chest and taking the unfamiliar yet oddly comforting scent.

"Oh!" Alex gets it. "I'll turn around."

Kara swallows past the lump in her throat and shrugs the itchy robe off her shoulders. It immediately falls to the floor and she kicks it aside, staring at the pants in confusion. She manages to figure out those pretty quick but is at a loss with the obnoxiously blue t-shirt that's got three holes.

"Alex!" she cries out when her head is stuck in the hole meant for her arm. "Alex!"

Alex turns around and can't stop her laughter when she sees Kara struggling to put the shirt over her head. "Kara, no. That's where your arm goes."

"Help!"

Alex easily pulls the shirt away from Kara's head and manages to slip it over her seconds later. "I have so much to teach you."

A small smile tugs at Kara's lips as she smoothes down her hair. "Yeah, you do."

Alex sits on the edge her bed and watches Kara stare all around the room. "So," she begins when the silence is too much to take. "That's cool your cousin is Superman. I only have one cousin, Walter. He's like super weird. He's obsessed with serial killers and I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath. Dad thinks so too."

Kara's eyes begin to water. "I never knew Kal El."

"Oh." Alex feels horrible. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"I know," Kara says quietly, dabbing her eyes with the back of her arm. "Alex?"

"Yeah?" Alex whispers, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "Do you…do you need like a hug or something?"

Kara is quick to shake her head. "I think I just want to be alone."

"Oh." Alex suddenly feels a lump lodged in her throat. She knows she's messed up. Her parents were right; she should have stayed out of the way. "Sure. I'll just be downstairs if you need anything."

She waits to see if Kara protests but when she barely looks up from the floor, she drags herself out of their bedroom and down the stairs. Her parents are on the opposite ends of the couch with the TV humming at a low volume.

Eliza looks up from her knitting and smiles. "How's Kara?"

"Good," Alex lies even though she wants to cry because she's already caused her new sister pain. "She just wanted to relax."

"What do you think, Al? Mythbusters or Battlestar Galactica?"

Alex shrugs and plops down right next to her mom. "Whatever."

Jeremiah raises an eyebrow but lets it go. He puts on Mythbusters and watches the frown on Alex's face dissolve when she realizes it's a new episode. Eliza gently runs her hands through Alex's dark hair before placing her knitting down.

"Do you think Kara wants to watch TV with us?"

"Does Kara know what a TV is?"

"Good point." Eliza rises to her feet and pats Alex on the knee. "I'll go see if she wants to join."

Alex curls her legs under body and sighs. "Dad?"

"Yeah?" Jeremiah says distantly, his eyes glued to the TV.

"I upset Kara."

Jeremiah tears his eyes away from the screen and tilts his head. "I doubt that."

"I asked about her cousin and she just, she just started crying and said she wanted to be alone."

"Honey, it's not your fault," Jeremiah says reassuringly, curling his arm around Alex's shoulders when she scoots closer with a pout. "This is going to take some time to get used to."

Alex hums in agreement and takes a breath when Eliza comes back downstairs quietly. "Does she want to watch TV?"

"She is fast asleep," Eliza says with a slight smile. "I left the hallway light on just in case she gets scared."

Alex bites her lip and decides against moaning about only being able to sleep in pitch black. Her dad's right; this is going to take some time to get used to.

"I think I'm going to go to bed too," Alex whispers, forcing a yawn to fool her parents into believing she's tired at ten past eight. She hugs them both good night and climbs the stairs one at a time, slipping into her dim room on her toes so she won't wake Kara.

But even though she's really quiet, Kara shoots up in bed.

"It's just me," Alex says softly. "Alex."

"Alex?" Kara sounds so confused. So lost.

Alex flips the bedroom light on and watches Kara pull the covers tight to her chin. She can see the smaller girl is trying so hard not to cry. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Kara admits in a tiny voice.

"Everything okay?"

It takes Kara a minute or two to answer. "Everything's just so loud."

"Do you want me to have my parents turn down the TV?"

A small smile plays on Kara's lips because Alex looks both very concerned and confused. "No. It's _everything_. I can hear everything outside. So many weird noises."

Alex stares at Kara in sympathy and slides her closet door open. She kicks a few random clothes to the side and stands on her tiptoes to turn the dim overhead light on.

"Come here," she says gently. "I don't know if this will help but we can try!"

Kara kicks the covers off and rolls out of the bed, taking careful steps to the open closet door. She tenses when Alex reaches for her.

"We can sit in here," Alex says once she gets the hint Kara doesn't want her hand. She pats the spot next to her and slides the door closed, with a few inches to spare so they can breathe, when Kara joins her.

The silence engulfs them and Kara hugs her knees again, letting her chin rest atop them. She can faintly hear Alex's heartbeat; she's so nervous. It's obvious. Then there's the warped voices down stairs and the odd echoing from outside.

It's too much. It's all too much.

Kara covers her ears and bites back her tears. Alex must think all she does is cry.

"Do you want to sit in my lap?" Alex asks caringly. She sits up a bit straighter when Kara looks at her, almost considering the offer. "I won't hurt you."

"I'll hurt _you_ ," Kara cries.

Alex laughs and dismisses Kara's claim with a wave of her hand. "Please. You won't hurt me. I promise." Little by little, Kara's scooting over until there's barely an inch between them. Their knees are touching and Alex can hear Kara's heartbeat pounding against her chest. "Can, can I?"

Kara seems to get what Alex means by sticking her hands out a bit. She lifts her arms and in one swift motion, Alex's hands are under her armpits and she's settled comfortably in the older girl's lap.

"You can exhale now."

Kara exhales the nervous breath she's been holding and giggles a bit, feeling the wave of terror wash away as Alex's arm rests protectively against her midsection.

Alex takes her free hand and turns it upwards, waiting for Kara's hand to grab it. But she won't She can't. She'll definitely break it.

"It's okay. I promise."

Kara closes her eyes, letting her left hand linger over Alex's. She feels their palms touching and soon, Alex's slender fingers are interlocked with hers. Opening her eyes, Kara can't help but gasp when their hands are successfully intertwined.

"See?" Alex says knowingly. "You didn't hurt me, did you?"

"No," Kara replies in wonderment. She smiles when Alex gently squeezes her stomach. "But I could some day."

Alex just shrugs and hooks her chin over Kara's shoulder. "Well that's some day. And I'm sure some day, I'll hurt you too."

"I'm made of steel," Kara says matter-of-factly. "You can't hurt me!"

"Hey, do you like music?" Alex asks when she feels Kara's small body shake against her own. She reaches for her I-pod and offers Kara an ear bud. "What kind of music did you have on Krypton?"

"I, I don't really know," Kara admits quietly. "It was pretty boring."

"Really?" Alex raises her eyebrows in curiosity. "Maybe we can look some of it up. It might help you sleep."

Kara smiles when she feels Alex's thumb run across her knuckles comfortingly. She lets the older girl place the ear bud in her right ear and sits up a bit straighter when loud, but oddly catchy music plays. "What is this?"

"This," Alex begins proudly, "is N'sync. Probably the best boy band ever." She studies Kara's face and watches the worry fade away. "You like it, huh?"

"It's catchy," Kara giggles. "Nothing like the music on Krypton."

"Did the Spice Girls make it to Krypton?"

"The who?"

Alex feigns offense and dramatically hits her head against the wall. Kara jumps at the intense thud and gasps. The elder girl looks at her in confusion and suddenly realizes the sound for Kara must be intensified by a hundred.

"Are you okay?" Kara asks frantically, quickly shifting in Alex's lap. Her right shoulder digs into Alex's rather sharply and there is immediate discomfort on her face.

"I'm f-fine. Totally fine." Alex tries not to let the intense pain of Kara's body pressed against her own faze her.

"I'm hurting you!" Kara yells. "See! I told you. I told you I'd hurt you."

Alex feels the pain dissolve when Kara rolls off her lap and backs herself into the far side of the closet. "Kara, no. You didn't hurt me. I promise."

"You're lying," Kara points out. She closes her eyes when Alex crawls closer and begs her new sister to stay away. "Just stay away from me."

"You didn't hurt me," Alex tries again. "I just…you're really strong for someone so little." She smiles when Kara looks up at her in offense.

"I'm not _that_ little," Kara pouts slightly. "I was one of the tallest girls in my class on Krypton!"

"Was everyone under four feet on Krypton?" Alex teases.

"No!"

"Uh huh. Sure."

Alex watches Kara fight back a yawn and pats her knee. "You should try going to bed. You can sleep in here if you want. I mean, if it helps."

"No thanks," Kara replies politely. She grabs Alex's outstretched hand (carefully, of course) and follows her out of the closet. "The bed is more comfortable."

"You got that right," Alex agrees with a yawn of her own. She pulls the covers back on Kara's bed and motions for her to get in. "Do you need anything? Like water?"

Kara shakes her head and allows Alex to tuck her in the bed. "Are, are you going to sleep?"

"Probably." Alex yawns again and rubs her eyes. "I'll just be right over there if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

Alex quickly disappears to brush her teeth. When she returns, Kara is hovering shyly over her bed, peering at it almost longingly. "What's up?"

"Your bed seems more comfortable," Kara whispers, fiddling with the hem of her pajama shirt and staring down at the floor. She doesn't have the guts to ask Alex if they can share a bed. It'd make her feel a lot safer.

"You can sleep in it if you want," Alex says in slight confusion. "I'll sleep in your bed then. No big deal…"

Kara follows Alex across the room and watches her climb in the bed. Alex rolls over and tilts her head back when she feels Kara staring at her. "Yes?"

"I changed my mind," Kara says quickly. "I want this bed."

Alex doesn't have time to move. Kara soars over the bed and curls herself in between the small space between her and the wall. "Kara?"

"Yes?" Kara can hear Alex giggling beside her.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Oh! Oh, you don't have to," Kara stutters nervously. She clutches the covers and rolls over so she's facing Alex. "But, but could you? I, I'd like that."

"Sure. You're not a bed hog, are you?"

"What, what does that mean?" Kara moves closer, her body firmly pressed into Alex's side. It causes the brunette to nearly fall off the bed.

"Never mind," Alex laughs tiredly. She gently pushes Kara over a bit so she has some room and her body's not hanging off the bed. "I answered my own question."

Kara finally allows her eyes to rest, letting the steady sound of Alex's heartbeat lull her to sleep. The faint beating is oddly comforting and soothing. Alex feels Kara curl into her side again and drapes an arm over her back to hold her close.

"I'll stay up until you're asleep," Alex promises, her voice soft and full of sleep.

"T-thank you," Kara whispers after a pause. She clutches a fistful of Alex's pajama top and lets her body relax against her new sister. "Goodnight."

Alex smiles and feels relief when Kara manages to fall asleep within ten minutes. She carefully rolls on to her back and maneuvers Kara's head so it's resting comfortably against her chest. She's fast asleep minutes later as well.

And that's how Jeremiah and Eliza found the girls sleeping every night for the next three weeks, protecting each other like sisters do.


End file.
